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We’ve all been there. Awkward, weird little things that happen when you’re working out.
Maybe you’re half way through a spin class and realise you actually can’t finish it without running to the bathroom… maybe you can’t for the life of you not fart during a yoga class.
For most of us, there are perfectly reasonable explanations behind why this weird sh*t happens when we’re exercising. Here are five of the most common things that can occur and why they happen.
Why can’t I stop yawning when I’m working out?
Yawning when you’re working out could be your brains way of cooling down your core temperature.
According to one study by Binghamton University published in the Physiology and Behaviour Journal, by yawning your body will pump extra blood to your brain, which will in turn cool your body down.
Participants in the study yawned more when hitting the gym in moderate climates and less so in colder ones. The researchers also found that the type of exercise you do will effect how much you yawn, for example doing weights is more likely to make you yawn than a yoga class, because it raises your body temperature more. [10:16]
Is it normal to pee a little bit when I run?
Normal is stretching it here, but it is common. Female urinary incontinence (UI) affects a significant proportion of young women during exercise.
One study by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Insubria, published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that 14.9 per cent of women of fertile age experience UI, and of those, 31.7 per cent only experienced it during exercise.
The researchers mentioned that basketball, athletics and tennis are among the sports most likely to cause UI, and they also (dishearteningly) sited that UI causes 10 per cent of women to abandon their favoutire sports.
If you experience UI, book an appointment in with your doctor to discuss treatment options, like pelvic floor training, before hanging up your boots.
Watch: Dr Ginni Mansberg explains what urine colour can indicate about your health. (Post continues after video.)
Why do I get a stitch sometimes and not others?
Getting a stitch is most common in activities that involved repetitive torso movement, like running.
As Dr Darren Morton explains in his study on stitches, published in Sports Medicine, the intensity of exercise influences stitches. He found that 31 per cent of runners experienced the pain during a walk and run event compared with only 16 per cent of people who just walked.
Other factors that can effect whether or not you might get a stitch on any given day, include eating or drinking before exercise (both can provoke it) and also your warm-up regime.
Inadequate warm-up prior to exercise and cold conditions have also been linked to getting a stitch, so take all of this into account to see if you can reduce the chances of experiencing one when you're working out.
Why do I fart in yoga class?
People fart in yoga. This is not news. There is even a pose dating back to ancient yogis called Pavanamuktasana (otherwise known as "the wind relieving" pose).
So yes, passing gas during yoga is very common and very normal - it generally happens because the positions you move in also move your gut around, allowing trapped air to escape.
In saying that, avoiding foods that will give you gas (like beans) on the day of your class will help. You can check in with your dietitian or GP to talk about other treatment options if you're finding that the gas situation is a little too much to handle. (Post continues after gallery.)
Celebrities doing yoga.
Why does it feel hot when I go to the toilet after working out?
If your urine feels hot when you go to the toilet after hitting the gym, don't fret - it is perfectly normal.
Dr Keith Baar, associate professor of exercise biology at the University of California at Davis, explains that this is because of our body temperature.
"Intense exercise or a session longer than 30 minutes will likely warm up your insides, urine included. It should chill in about an hour." Dr Barr told Women's Health Magazine.
Does anything bizarre happen to you when you work out?
